


Tony Stark's Rules for Superhero Sex

by Spongeekat



Category: Deadpool - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Porn With Plot, Secret Crush, Slow Build, Smut, Superfamily (Marvel), Tony is a father figure, Within the first 1000 words
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-09-26 01:40:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9856316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spongeekat/pseuds/Spongeekat
Summary: "Rule Number 3: Don’t fall for any of your hook ups."Peter and Wade are friends with benefits, and Peter finds himself slowly breaking Rule 3. Everyone's already figured out his crush, except for Wade. The Avengers decide to take it upon themselves to get Peter to admit it to him, but first they have to convince him to admit it to himself.A story in which the Avengers are protective over not-so-innocent Peter, and Wade doesn't have the self-confidence to realize Peter likes him.





	1. Chapter 1

“Rule 1: You’re going to have sex eventually. A lot of it.” 

Tony Stark: Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, fatherly figure to a certain human spider, and now added to the list, superhuman sex expert. 

Peter Parker: Photographer, Nerd, Above-average student barely passing college classes, socially inadequate, and currently a horrified 19 year-old being forced into the sex talk by someone who had no business giving it to him. 

“Okay, cool, that’s really good to know.” Peter’s fingers covered his unmasked lips, the heat emitting from red cheeks spreading to them. He shifted his vision to the few other Avengers sorted throughout the living room. Their post-mission relaxation apparently included listening to Peter getting humiliated by America’s favorite drunk while pulling off muddy boots and tossing them aside. Peter himself was still dressed in a torn suit, his mask crumpled on his lap. “Can I maybe go now? This was a super valuable and informative conversation, and I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ve been hearing the same thing since middle school.” 

“You didn’t let me finish.” Tony pursed his lips, his whiskey glass pointing accusingly at Peter. He’d gotten to drinking quickly following their return. “I spent years developing this rulebook, and as your leader-” 

“That’s subjective.” Natasha said flatly. _Thanks for that, but save me?_

“As a very influential and important man that paid for that new upgraded piece of spandex you’re wearing, I’m telling you to be quiet and appreciate what I have to say.” 

Peter threw another hopeful glance to the American hero who would be most likely to put a stop to this, though apparently Peter’s entertainment value was worth more than his shame. Steve shrugged in return, offering a sweet smile to hide what Peter could only assume to be malintentions. “I think you should hear him out. You’re young, and this might be good for you to know.” 

“That’s a very insightful and strangely not discrediting thing for you to say.” Tony looked back at Peter with a taut eyebrow, waiting for permission to continue. 

“You’re the one that admitted you were practically a virgin on the helicopter.” Natasha shrugged, still not helping Peter’s case. He was clearly growing uncomfortable at the mention of his lack of a personal sex life- called personal for a reason- which he hadn’t even meant to confess to in the first place. Clint had made an off-handed comment about Peter deserving to get laid after the job he’d done that day, and in a moment of ‘brilliant, quick-witted’ but self-deprecating humor, he’d responded by telling him the closest he’d ever gotten to that was falling asleep. There had been an awkward pause from the rest of the members, even Nick Fury, before Tony had bursted out into obnoxious teasing that made Peter instantly regret his entire life choices.  
He wasn’t necessarily ashamed that he hadn’t slept with anyone, considering the fact he’d been too preoccupied with Spider-Man and passing school to even think about sex. But he didn’t really want a group of aging superheroes taunting him about it for the next hour-and-a-half. 

The young New Yorkian realized there was no way out of this, and carefully accepted his fate. Maybe, if he silently sat through the fake lessons, Tony would get bored and let him off without completely stealing his dignity. He propped his chin on his fist against the side of the couch, an audible groan leaving his mouth. “Fine.” 

“Beg me to teach you my large array of knowledge.” 

“No.” 

“Good enough.” Tony took his place in the large recliner opposite from the loveseat, legs crossing in a manner to imitate Peter’s. “As I was saying, first rule, when you’re a superhero, you’ll have just as many fans as people that want you dead. And some of these fans are going to be very attractive young men and women that want to throw themselves at you the first chance they get.” 

“I’ve been at this for 4 years.” Peter said in annoyance. “I can tell you that’s something that only happens to you.” 

“I have to disagree with that.” Clint commented from where he stood in the doorway, apparently also taking part in the witnessing of Peter’s demise. “I’ve had a lot of offers.” 

Thor frowned in bemusement. “I have yet to see people flying at me that have not been thrown there by you all.” 

“You wouldn’t know if someone was coming onto you, God Man.” Tony snorted. “She’d say ‘take me’ and you’d say ‘Where?’”

“I fail to see where that is not a correct answer.” 

“Speak for yourselves on the women thing.” Bruce heaved a thick sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. “Where are my offers?” 

“Does Big Green even have a…?” 

“Anyways!” Peter cut off the straying conversation with a cracking voice to match the blush he wore brightly across his cheeks, hoping this could resolve and he’d be able to crawl off to die in peace. 

“Right.” Tony tuned back into his discussion with Peter, proudly displaying the number 1 on his finger. “Fans. Lots of them. You’ll tell yourself, at first, you won’t sleep with any of them. That you’re stronger than that. That it’s wrong, and you shouldn’t use your status to get that. But don’t believe yourself, Peter. Because your resolve _will_ break, and you’ll realize these are people that want to be with you, and you’ll end up cooking breakfast and calling a cab for a new person every morning.” He paused. “Notice I said ‘person’ and not exclusively ‘woman,’ because you--” 

“I got it!” Peter groaned, rubbing his face in exasperation. _Note to self, don’t get drunk with Tony Stark just because it’s been a bad night, and definitely don’t emotionally confess all of your secrets to the man who would sell you out for a shot._

“Anyways, that’s the first rule. Know that it’ll happen, and prepare appropriately so you don’t end up with any mini-Spiders crawling around.” Tony paused, tossing his head back over his shoulder to gaze at Steve. “Could you have kids? After being frozen and all?” 

Steve’s face reddened drastically at the question to match Peter’s, his face growing sternly embarrassed. “Rule number 2?” He prompted, to keep the attention off of him with such a topic. 

“Rule 2.” Tony grinned as he looked back at Peter. “Definitely don’t sleep with another hero, or vigilante, or mutant, or anyone that has enough power to do serious damage to you. And especially not someone on your team.” 

Someone made a choking sound in the room, and paired with Tony’s smirk, Peter could only assume he didn’t want to know the origin of this story. 

“He’s a _kid._ ” Natasha stressed, shaking her head at Tony’s words. “I’m pretty sure we’re all almost twice his age. Don’t even put that idea out there.” 

“Just part of the list.” 

“Is that it?” Peter asked impatiently. His suit was growing uncomfortable, especially with the blush traveling down his neck and overheating everything. And he really didn’t want to be stuck in the center of their attention any longer, especially when he knew they were all privately evaluating his personal life from various angles. 

“One last rule, more serious.” Tony said, unfurling his legs. As he sat forward, his expression shifted from a teasing smirk to a frown, and Peter had to carefully listen to hear his quieter tone. “Don’t fall for any of your hook ups. No matter how good they are, or how many times you see them, don’t form any sort of attachment to them. Especially you, when your identity isn’t already public knowledge. You don’t need anyone manipulating you into revealing it, and those people are there because they like you as a hero. They don’t know you as a person. Remember that.” 

That rule felt a little more heavy, and there was a quiet tension that spread over his body to couple with the embarrassment. “I can go now?” Peter didn’t bother to even finish asking the question before he was already standing. 

“As long as you feel like you’ve learned something.” Tony chuckled at the reaction he received, able to see he’d humiliated the teenager down to his core. “Also, just be sure to use protection, be safe, don’t take them back to your actual place, all those basic facts.” 

“Got it.” Peter said just as quickly as he escaped from the room, stooping to grab his discarded mask along the way. And with that, he locked himself in the Avengers bathroom, spending the next twenty minutes trying to scrub away the burning of his cheeks. He dried his face on his sleeve, before glancing up at his reflection in the mirror. Despite what Tony said, he knew that he was much too busy to let himself get caught up in a crazy sex life, or even meeting others at all. He was living two lives that added enough stress, as well as now being part of the Avengers, and he didn’t need distractions. Besides, he easily would be able to keep himself from breaking any of those rules if he just didn’t see anyone in general. 

Or, so he thought. 

\-- 

“Wade, o-ow, cut it out. I can’t bend both ways.” 

Peter’s fingers tangled in the blankets that were barely clinging to the mattress underneath him. One of his knees was nudged further apart by Wade’s thigh, and Peter’s posture was upset, leaving him to sink deeper into the covers. Another rough work of his hips sent the metal railing scraping the wall, and Peter’s soft gasps filled the space between his lips and the bedding. A heavy hand on his spine forced an arch in his back, and the angle elicited a delicious groan from behind him. 

“Get comfortable, then, baby boy.” Wade prompted. He slowed his attacks, giving Peter time to draw his knees a bit closer in together. Another slight adjustment just to give himself leverage, and Peter felt a shudder rock through his body. 

“Are you good?” Wade nipped at Peter’s collarbones, his hand sinking between Peter’s thighs to rub circles into the tender skin. A nod prompted him to thrust into him again with the same determination as before, fingers gripping bruisingly. Peter’s hands searched desperately for a perch to grip onto, though the slick sheets provided no friction. His building orgasm caused his toes to curl, a tremble working its way from head to toe. Wade moved again, his arm wrapping around Peter’s waist and forcing his hips up hard against him. 

“You’re so fucking cute.” Wade’s sensual tone sent waves of electricity into his mind, and he briefly was able to process the sweat dripping down his neck. “The cutest Spider. The-” His voice paused for a moment as if he’d been interrupted, before returning with humor. “He is, isn’t he? I can’t say that now. He’ll be offended.” 

“Stop talking.” Peter raised a shaky hand that stuck to the wall, barely keeping his head from hitting into it from Wade’s rough pounding. “And- A-Ah- do that again…!” 

Wade obeyed, fucking into him in the same manner. Peter’s rise in volume showed his appreciation, his body tightening in pleasure. Peter choked out a curse a second later as he spilled over the sheets. Wade kissed and nipped at the curves of his shoulder, prolonging the sensitivity of his orgasm. Moments later, he felt Wade shove himself hard inside one last time, followed by a string of moans that sounded eerily close to his name and a few lewd phrases he was choosing to ignore. The heavy body drug him into its chest as it collapsed to the dirty sheets, Peter’s world temporarily being offset as he attempted to reorient himself. Coming down from his high, he found his head settled into the nook of Wade’s neck, a large arm circling his waist. He could feel Wade’s recovering breathing against his own chest, and Peter took the off-chance to glanced up at the face inches above his. He was met with peacefully closed eyes, and settled his gaze on those rough lips that were slightly parted in way of the pleasure. Peter swallowed hard, feeling his stomach constrict at the sight of his softened expression, which was something he didn’t see very often. 

“Do I have something on my face?” 

Peter’s eyes darted back up to Wade’s, now staring down at him in question. He stopped his words of surprise, grimacing as he pushed his body away from the mercenary’s to roll to the other side of the bed indignantly, as if Wade should be ashamed to have caught him staring. “Just wondering if you passed out, since you didn’t have anything to say after… for once.” 

Wade propped himself up on his elbow, looking amused at Peter’s disregard. The teenager could feel eyes burning into his backside, as he self consciously reached for one of the dirtied sheets to tie around his waist. “You wanted my attention.” 

“Did not.” Peter grumbled as he threw an irritated look back at Wade. “I’m gonna go shower.” 

“Can we join you?” 

“I actually want to get clean this time.” 

Wade tsked as he maneuvered onto his back, reaching for his phone. “Are you staying the night this time? It’s already 2 in the morning.” 

Peter swallowed and shook his head as he drug himself onto his feet, locating his clothing to pick off the floor. “I have class tomorrow.” 

“Skip?” Wade suggested, grinning mischievously up at the brunette trying hard to escape. “I can teach you all you’d learn right here. Anatomy 101. Lesson one, how to give a kickass blo--” The sheet landing on his face ended his perverted pleading, and when he finally tore it off, Peter was already hiding behind the bathroom door with it slightly cracked to speak. 

“I’m going home.” He stressed, though there was a hint of amusement to his voice. Despite how much he didn’t want to have to explain himself, Wade’s requests for him not to leave made a soft grin form across his lips, which was thankfully hidden by the door. “Also locking the door.” 

“Give me something to work with.” 

Peter shut the door on the bedroom, his hand lingering on the knob as he calmed his racing heart. Glancing over at the dimly lit mirror, he could see the hickies lining his neck, able to feel others throbbing on the skin of his back. He caught his breath, his reflection looking just as flustered as he felt. Why did Wade have to talk so much? It was like he knew how much just hearing his voice made Peter’s heart leap, and was purposefully exploiting it. 

Not that he had any idea that Peter had developed what could only be described as a crush on Wade. 

So, Peter may have broken… **all** of Tony’s golden rules in one night. Firstly, Peter didn’t have a condom on hand when he’d shown up at Wade’s door, and Wade had apparently run out, which led to an awkward gas station trip with a smirking attendant who asked _way_ too many questions. Secondly, of course, his fuck-buddy of choice was a superhuman mercenary, which may be worse than actually sleeping with another Avenger. Thirdly, there was the fact he had grown covertly infatuated with said superhuman, which apparently was the biggest no-no on the entire, stupid list. 

He’d recognized the feelings a month ago. It wasn’t on a particularly special night, nor had anything especially important happened between them. It had happened simply following a nightly patrol, in which Peter had elicited Wade’s help to break into an old warehouse to save a group of women that had been kidnapped. A quick job, kill-free, and only minor injuries to the both of them. High off the adrenaline of the confrontation, they’d tumbled into the dark apartment with half their suits already torn off, lips interlocked sloppily. They’d barely made it to the bed before Wade had made a bad joke, leaving him and Peter dorkily laughing about it for the next 2 minutes. Somewhere between the snorts and giggles, Peter had found himself listening to Wade’s laughter, the sound making his stomach knot up. It was in that moment that he realized he’d entered a dangerous stage of self-realization he needed to stop in its tracks. Yet, from that day he had only witnessed the doubt in his mind growing worse. He began to notice how much he looked forward to the nights he got to see Deadpool, especially the ones he was invited back to his bedroom. A single text from him made any anxiety-filled day feel lighter. He thought about him at least once before he fell asleep, and twice in the morning. Peter Parker had become the walking embodiment of every romantic cliche, and that alone made him feel nauseous. 

He reached behind him to turn on the rusting shower in the slightly run-down apartment, not wanting to seem like he was taking too long in the bathroom. The water spurted to life, giving Peter room to think. He hadn’t told anyone of his crush, nor did he plan to, and especially not Wade. For one, he knew it was temporary. It was hard not to get your emotions mixed up and interpret them wrong, especially when he’d lost his virginity to Wade 3 months ago. He was sure it was just the hormones tricking his mind, and he’d escape in no time. Also, as much as Wade made jokes about Peter’s ass or called him cute, it was just that; jokes. He knew there was no real chance there, and even if on the off-chance Wade was attracted to more than just his body, there was no way they would ever work out. They were completely different people, and as good as Wade was about not ‘unaliving’ targets in Peter’s presence, they were still a serial murderer and a superhero. That wasn’t a compatible combination. 

He was quick to get in-and-out of the shower, the water washing away his confusion for the time being. Peter had school tomorrow, and his main focus was getting out the door without being dragged down for round 2 and talked into staying the night. Wade had a magical way of convincing him (mostly with the use of his tongue.) He bid Wade a short goodnight, stalking off back towards his own apartment a good 30 minute walk away.

Peter would sleep off his doubts, then return to life as normal. Eventually this emotion would ebb away, and he’d go back to just seeing Wade as a friend like they’d always been. Right? Right. 

...Right? 

He hoped he was right. He really, really hoped he was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT:   
> Thank you for the comments! Most of them were super sweet :) I'm working on the second chapter still, but it'll be up soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elevators are nice

If Peter were an average, non-powered human that didn’t spend half his time with the Avengers, he liked to think he could easily be declared as the college student with the coolest job in all of New York. After all, he spent his afternoons posing as Tony Stark’s personal assistant, which involved having his own desk in one of the top floors of Stark Industries, and getting paid well over minimum wage just to take calls and manage Tony’s appointments. However, because he was definitely not an average human, and did have to spend most of his time with the Avengers, having to spend an extra 30 hours a week with Tony quickly became a lot less exciting. Most days, dragging himself to work became a chore. Having to keep up with Tony’s constant energy and moods really took a toll on his liveliness. Coupled with the midnight paroles he went out on in his free-time, Peter was drowning in his own exhaustion. 

That bright Monday morning was no exception. As always, Peter showed up 10 minutes to 3, following his last morning class. He greeted Paisley, the receptionist downstairs, a sweet hello before slumping into the elevator, lazily inputting his access code. He knew today would be the same as always; the elevator would open to the floor that Tony’s office took up half of, he’d sign into his computer, quickly check his email, then listen to his boss’s ramblings, fetch him coffee at least twice, and promptly escape to go do homework for the next 4 hours until patrol time. Then he’d crawl into bed sometime around 2 am, wake up at 7, and repeat the entire process over again. Unless Wade decided to drag him out of bed to come over, which happened every other week. At least that was a somewhat effective stress relief. 

“Welcome back, Mr. Parker.” Jarvis’s voice echoed through the hidden speakers in the enclosed space, pulling Peter from his stint. 

Peter glanced up with a familiar smile, despite knowing this hardly affected the robotic AI. Still, Jarvis often proved to be the only sane voice time-and-time again when it came to the happenings of this building. “Thanks, J.” He nodded back, leaning back tiredly against one of the reflective elevator walls. “Any new updates today?” 

“None pertaining to your current job, sir.” Jarvis returned. Peter glanced up at the elevator floors passing by, counting down his freedom. He really wasn’t ready for today. “However, Master Stark has requested that I bring you to another floor for a meeting.” 

Peter paused, his breath catching. Avengers stuff in the middle of the day? That didn’t seem to happen very often, unless there was an emergency. “Oh? What’s up?” 

“I have not been permitted to say.” 

“Oh..okay. That’s fine. Thanks, Jarvis.” 

“My pleasure, sir.” 

As prophesied, the elevator came to its stop on one of the official Avenger’s floors, mid-way through Tony’s workshop areas. Peter stepped out into the well-lit hallway, taking a brief moment to curse the lighting designer that obviously wasn’t catering to sleep-deprived teenagers, before walking down the familiar maze. He glanced past a glass wall to see the Mark 43 sparking, various robots fixing damage from one of their recent fights. The next room had his recently half-destroyed Spidey-suit laid out over a table, being taken apart for the technology to be installed in another suit. At least he had 3 or 4 of those to spare. Following that was a dark room, in which Peter was met with his own reflection that stunted his walking. He paused, taking the chance to look over his tired complexion and overall fatigue. His hair was a mess, and Peter briefly couldn’t remember if he brushed it after his shower. His bags fell deeper than they should have, and his clothes looked like he’d gotten dressed blindly. He quietly continued down the hallway, thinking over the last time he’d gotten more than 4 hours of sleep. Maybe a month ago? 

Theoretically, he knew he could get more rest if he tried. However, besides the late Spider-Man activities and early classes, he’d been sort of self-sabotaging, staying up on his phone at least an hour after he’d gotten home. It was hard to tear himself away, when he was constantly receiving dorky, attention-seeking texts from a certain someone named--

“Deadpool?” 

Peter gaped at the red-clad mercenary currently sprawled out on one of the plush chairs in the meeting room. Of all people he expected to be summoned to a sudden Avenger’s event with, he had never once considered it might be Wade. After all, he wasn’t exactly a favorite among them.

Beside him was Natasha, appearing exasperated. Peter could tell from the look on her face that she’d been the one having to deal with Wade’s antics, likely as a form of an assigned babysitter to make sure he didn’t touch anything important. 

Wade looked back up at him through his mask, and Peter could see him just as surprised to encounter the younger kid there. He sat up, throwing an excited hand out in his direction. “Spider-Man! Now I know where to find that sweet ass during the day.” Peter could hear the smirk on his lips, which made Peter’s neck grow warm in embarrassment. He could be talking about the weather, but it would still sound utterly suggestive. “I saved you the best seat in the whole room.” With that, he gave an appreciative pat to his lap, which Peter instantly decided to pass. He suddenly felt awkwardly self-conscious walking through the room, knowing he wasn’t dressed in a way that could even closely compare to the heroes own dapper appearances. This was the first time he’d really come across Wade dressed in civies, considering they’d usually retired to hang out when the two were already suited up for patrol. He carefully took his typical spot, keeping a safe distance between him and his 100-percent-secret FWB.

“You know each other?” Steve asked, quirking an eyebrow. The question made Peter swallow with slight fear, truly hoping Wade wouldn’t say anything stupid that would end with a life-lecture for the both of them. Not when Peter knew how much Wade gushed about wanting to work with the Avengers. 

“Uh, yeah.” Peter managed to get out lamely, looking through his for-show glasses at Wade. He received no response or support, and he could clearly feel the explanation was left to him. “We um… we’re sort of friends?” 

“Pretty _close_ friends.” 

Peter grit his teeth through his smile, but nodded to confirm it. “Yeah. Close friends, I guess. We’ve just known each other for years. He helps me out sometimes when we run into each other.” 

Tony’s confused annoyance was radiating off of him. Peter knew Wade certainly wasn’t his favorite person, and he didn’t doubt that he wouldn’t want the corrupted older man hanging around the 19 year old he was strangely protective over. “You’re gonna be doing a lot more than that, now.” 

Peter felt his chest grow cold at his words, certainly not prepared for the possible suggestion behind that phrase. However, Tony seemed to have no malintentions by it, nor insider knowledge he was trying to imply. _Good._

“Why is he here, then?” Peter asked, pointing a curious finger at the man as if he didn’t exist. Hopefully ignoring him would prevent any more outbursts that could possibly out the two. 

“We have a new… project, I guess.” Steve answered, sitting up in his chair. He cast a long look at the mercenary that seemed all too happy to be in the room of heroes, and Peter could see he was trying hard to put up a well-behaved front. Likely under the threats of every authoritative figure there. “Quite a bit of it is dealing with underground dealing happening within New York, and SHEILD is having trouble finding information on some of the higher-ups that are cooperating alongside certain Hydra agents.” 

“So… he’s here to do the dirty work?” Peter frowned, throwing a look at Wade. Was he okay with that? He’d been trying to prove to Peter he could be good, after Peter’s numerous threats to turn against him if he continued to remain morally ambiguous. He hadn’t taken major jobs recently, according to what Peter had been told. 

“Not unaliving anyone. Don’t worry that pretty little spider-head.” Wade assured him, able to see the doubt plastered on his face. “Unless I get paid high enough... But still, I have my standards now I gotta uphold.” 

“So… you’re… part of the team for now?” Peter asked to confirm, looking between him and the other leaders. They shifted uncomfortably in their seats, Steve and Tony sharing a quick look at one another. 

Tony offered a shrug, still not looking the least bit pleased by the idea. “If you want to call it that. But on a very limited, very temporary pass.” 

“When do I get fitted for my matching t-shirt?”

“Pushing it.” Clint muttered in response, shutting Wade’s joking down. 

“Anyways, we need to discuss how we’re going to take care of this.” Tony’s fingers swiped the hologram in the air as a diagram of Manhattan reformed in the center of the table. 

Peter did his best to focus on Tony’s instructions for the next half-hour, even when it turned into a battle between he and the others on why they definitely shouldn’t bust in with brute force. However, he couldn’t help his eye wandering to Wade. 

So, they’d be working together for the next month-ish. Typically, that would make Peter groan in predisposed pain, already able to think of all of the frustrating arguments the two would get into. But Wade was doing better… and at least was slightly less annoying now. Maybe this could be good for them. 

At least he had hope, until he caught Wade’s eye across the table at a point during the lecture to see him mouthing obscenities at him. This would still take quite a bit of work. 

\--

“Aw, leaving already? I was hoping you could give me a tour of the place, or something.” 

Peter swallowed back a threat for Wade to at least hold some sort of censorship, turning on the man standing behind him. The elevator dinged as it ascended towards them, though it still had a bit of ways to go. “I have work.” He articulated, and quite clearly peered past him to assure he wasn’t being trailed by one of the international heroes. “No babysitter?” 

Wade waved a dismissive hand, heaving a short laugh. “They love me. Even if they show it by threatening to kill me. It’s their way of expressing it.” 

“I can tell.” Oh god. Was Peter grinning? He wiped the smile off of his face instantly, his hands gripping tightly onto the schoolbag in his hands. He wasn’t about to let himself fall into that trap without having his face covered. Wade seemed to give him a curious look, though Peter reciprocated by turning and pressing the ‘down’ button harder, as if it would reduce the time it took to arrive. 

“You seem nervous.” Peter could feel the distance closing between them, though Wade still gave him a somewhat decent amount of space. He fought the urge to push him away, mostly out of annoyance at the cooing voice he was feeding him. “Awww, Am I making you nervous, Petey? Don’t worry, I’m not gonna suddenly jump you in the middle of your work place… though office sex is really hot, and we should definitely try it now that I know where your job is--” He paused, making a clicking sound to take mental note of the idea. “Anyways, there’s a room of superheroes that would kick my ass if I laid a hand on you, so no public advances.” 

Peter finally decided he had the bravery to face Wade again, folding his arms as he leaned back against the elevator panel. “I’m not nervous.” He refuted, keeping his voice down to a quiet tone in hopes Wade would mimic his discretion. “But I actually do have stuff to do, Wade. You can’t follow me upstairs.” He half-hoped his protests wouldn’t work.

“Escort you, then.” Wade said without room for Peter to argue. “I wanna see where you do your big-bad superhero job stuff.” 

“I’m an assistant.” Peter flushed, the word sounding way less-cool on his lips. He didn’t need to impress Wade. But considering his lame clothing style and even lamer job title, he could practically feel himself becoming less interesting as the time went on. 

This didn’t seem to deter Wade at all. The elevator dinged again, indicating it had arrived as the doors open. Peter threw a glance at the empty space over his shoulder, hesitating. Wade made a show of holding the doors open, waving an inviting hand in. “Cute ones first.” 

Peter breathed in sharply at the word choice and begrudgingly marched inside. He could accept Wade’s company, at least for the time being. 

The doors had barely clicked shut for a second before he felt a hand on his chest, pushing firmly against it. In the next instant, Peter found himself pinned to the wall by a gloved hand, the other finger mashing every button that led down to Peter’s correct floor. “Wade!” 

“My hand slipped.” 

Peter turned his eyes from the lit-up buttons up to Wade’s masked face, which stared back down at him with an animated innocence he likely would have found without the mask in place. However, the expression carefully twisted to an amused look, and Peter couldn’t help but feel he was about to be embarrassed for Wade’s own entertainment. 

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Peter blinked, his head tilting lightly. He flushed when he felt a thigh pressing between his, creating a firm pressure that kept him against the wall. “What?” 

“That you’re wearing my shirt? The one you kidnapped a few weeks ago?” 

Peter felt his heart rate pick up a few decibels, drawing a deeper chuckle from Wade. “It was the only thing I had clean. Not on purpose!” He blushed. “I can bring it by later.” 

“No, keep it.” Wade’s fingers that had previously been mashing the elevator buttons rose to Peter’s face, gently running over his reddening cheeks. “I like the way you look in my clothes. You should wear them more often. I will accept your offer to come by tonight, though.” 

“This isn’t enough?” Peter raised an eyebrow as they stopped at another one of the numerous floors they were going to travel to. He made an audible noise when he felt Wade purposefully shift his leg to press against his pants again. 

“Definitely not.” 

Within the next few seconds, Wade had pulled the edge of his mask up to expose his lips that pressed against Peter's slyly. A hand snuck up to his waist to keep him pinned against the wall. He sucked in a sharp breath through his nose that served to egg Wade on, kissing him with a desperate aggression Peter struggled to keep up with. 

Each floor clicked by with a ding that rang far off in Peter’s mind. His head always seemed to lose its sense when Wade took total control in this manner, finding the small ways to drive Peter absolutely insane. What had started out as an innocent experimentation months ago had transformed into a game for Deadpool; figure out how to evoke the most reaction out of Peter while simultaneously helping him enjoy everything sex had to offer. When he and Wade had first slept together, Peter hadn’t quite mentioned his virginity status, though it was mostly due to the fact it just never came up. When Wade found out, he’d been pissed, telling Peter he shouldn’t have given it to someone like him, no matter how flattered and hot it was. After Peter’s reassuring that he definitely didn’t regret it, and definitely enjoyed the night, Wade had been much more at ease, and they somehow escalated into a weird, sexual territory of their friendship. 

Wade nudged Peter’s chin with his cheek, prompting him to tilt his head back against the wall. Teeth nipped at his bare skin, leaving small, new marks in their wake. Peter knew he should cut this off now, before they were caught and he was fired from his job, and embarrassed to all ends by Tony for the remainder of their mission. However, the moaning under Peter’s breath was an easy indicator to both himself and Wade he didn’t have the personal strength to do so. Whatever anxiety he had over being seen in such a position was overpowered by the pleasure that the young, inexperienced Peter wasn’t able to tear himself away from. 

Peter cracked an eye when they hadn’t moved in a while, seeing that their elevator had reached the final floor Tony’s office was located on. He drew back his hands slightly from Wade’s shoulders, pushing at his chest instead. “I gotta go.” 

“Not yet.” Wade murmured against his skin, giving a tauntingly long kiss over the underside of his jaw. 

“Tony’s probably already waiting for me.” Peter insisted breathily, maneuvering skillfully out from underneath Wade’s hold. He readjusted his messy clothing, running a hand through his hair as he stepped towards the doors. 

“You’re definitely stopping by tonight, though, right?” Wade grinned cheekily, his hands slipping up to reposition his mask over his lips. “I just got new sheets. Super fancy. I was hoping we could break them in.”

“I’ll think about it.” Peter flushed, a soft laughter on his voice as he finally managed to escape the elevator. He reached in to press the lobby button to force Wade down, as it lit up and the doors dinged to begin closing. 

“You know where I live.” Wade clicked his tongue as the doors finally slipped shut, leaving Peter flustered and alone in the hallway. 

He ran a hand carefully through his hair to calm down his pounding heart, making his way towards his small office. 

Peter made up his mind to do what he could to reduce the time they spent together at work. He was _not_ going to risk getting caught just because Wade wanted to play games with his emotions. Jerk.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's more clever than he seems... or maybe Peter just really sucks at keeping secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long!! Was a crazy final month of the term. The writing for this is also kinda sketch, but I wrote it at 5 am last night LOL 
> 
> On that note, I'm taking drabble and fic requests on my tumblr! (Spideypoolhell.tumblr.com) so feel free to send them in!

It wasn't just the hickies that were sloppily coated in cheap concealer that had caught Tony’s attention. He'd started to notice odd patterns about Peter's behavior that had really drawn him onto the trail of suspicion. For one, every so often Peter seemed more exhausted than usual. While he typically always looked like he'd pass out if you so much as blew on him too hard, there were the days he looked as if he hadn't gotten any sleep at all. Despite this, these tended to be the days he had the best attitude, and actually sat through Tony’s ramblings without complaints. That was a hard sign that Peter wasn't spending all of his nights alone. 

He, of course, wouldn't accuse Peter of any explicit crimes without proper evidence. So he kept watch over the young adult, eyes peeled for other signs; if he happened to walk funny, the hair that looked as if it couldn't be tamed further because it'd been pulled on by human hands, a small bruise on his wrist or under his bottom lip… it had begun to suspiciously add up. 

Tony didn't particularly care what Peter got up to in his free time. Really, they had grown close in a mentor-student sort of manner, and he had no business delving into the details of his personal life. However, as a nosy, self-proclaimed team leader that cared more about knowing every gossip-worthy event that was happening between team members… of course he was curious. Even more so than curious, he was a little upset that Peter hadn't brought it up to him, or tried to hide it as if Tony wouldn't notice. If there was one thing he was fantastic at besides...everything else, it was sex, and he’d always had an image of Peter coming to Tony to nervously babble on about a prospective first experience while Tony gave him expert tips developed through raw experience. So he was miffed that Peter was keeping this conversation to himself. 

Peter remained oblivious to the fact that his boss had even picked up on the intimations. As someone with no previous experience, he had no idea how obvious he was being. In fact, he’d been praising himself that morning on managing to completely annihilate any scents, and covering the bruises that littered his skin. He wasn't exactly proficient in these sorts of areas. 

He walked into the building with a bounce to his step that was much more pronounced than normal. On top of seeing Wade the night before, it was winter break, which meant Peter had been able to sleep in long past the time he was normally required to wake up. He’d gifted himself an abnormally long shower, as well as an extensive opportunity to get dressed in an outfit that was actually somewhat color coordinated. His brunet hair was blow dried back in a casual style that left him feeling clean and fresh, and his overall motivation to spend the day learning from Tony was at a high peak. 

Despite walking into a messy research area that Peter had already made mental plans to resurrect that day, his mood never once fell, and Tony noticed it immediately. Peter's greeting was brief but loud enough to audibly heard, though it left Tony with a great curiosity and insatiable desire to finally embarrass the hell out of the young adult until he finally committed self incrimination. And today he was lively enough to finally get satisfactory answers. 

“Your schedule today seems pretty clear.” Peter pushed at a pile of junk that clinked out of his way, hopping to sit up on top of the cleared table surface. His fingers tapped smoothly across the electronic surface, drawing up several schedules that stacked window by window. “Meeting this morning which I'm hoping you actually made it to?” 

Tony gave an obedient nod, though he was impatiently waiting for Peter to conclude. 

“Cool. One less thing for me and Pepper to fix. Anyways, the only thing you requested today was that you be done with making adjustments to an Avengers experimentation room, which got done two days ago, and Wanda hasn't completely destroyed it yet. So otherwise, you're clear until dinner tonight.” Peter concluded, setting the blank IPad back down in his lap. “Since you’re free, I wanna clean this mess. It's worse than my apartment, and I basically live in a closet.” 

“Two thoughts.” Tony said as he raised his fingers. “Or, maybe three.” Another digit joined the pair. “One, I'm paying you enough you should easily be able to afford a one bedroom. Why haven't you moved out?”

“Savings.” Peter shrugged. “I don't need some fancy apartment.” 

“I just mean one that doesn't have rotting carpet and questionable stains on the walls.” Tony leaned his head back on the chair support, his feet kicking into the ground to make the ceiling spin. “Savings? I already pay for school. If you mean for a car or whatever, I can figure something out.” 

Peter flushed at the meaningless money talk, brushing the conversation aside. “No, thanks. I'm not turning you into my Dad or whatever.” 

“Sugar Daddy. Isn't that the term you kids are using?”

“That either.” Peter grunted. 

“Right. Okay, second thought is, why am I busy at dinner?” 

“Pepper asked me to schedule you for it. Some event for you and the scientists. ” 

“Ah. Love the meddling. Last thought, take off your clothes.” 

Peter had definitely heard that one wrong, he thought. It was confirmed he'd heard exactly what Tony said when he saw that obnoxious smirk staring at him in amusement. His head visibly shot back as his eyes widened in confusion, hands self-consciously shooting to his shirt. “W-Why?” He stammered, reaching out to snatch the IPad out of the air as it started to fall. 

“You destroyed one of your suits on the last mission. I want to make marks on this new one to figure out where we’re transferring over pieces while I have you free. Can't be clothed to fit in it, right?” 

“Could have led with that, man.” Peter muttered as he jumped to his feet, arms crossing awkwardly over his chest. “I'm not taking off my boxers.” 

“Fair enough.” 

\------

Peter had been suitless in front of Tony multiple times in the past 5 years, so it wasn't really awkward to be standing in a cold room with burning lights turned on that accentuated every imperfection on his skin. Sure, the first few times he'd felt uncomfortable- especially before his body had started to tone out- but when he realized how little Tony was actually looking at _him_ and instead was focusing on the mechanics of his shape, he grew much less unphased about the entire process. 

Even now, with his single mask shoved over his face as Tony lifted and prodded at the thick spandex, he didn't realize that anything was off. 

“You been in a lot of battles lately?” Tony mused casually, missing knicking Peter's ear with a pin by a few centimeters. 

“Uh, normal amount.” The 20 year old answered back as he rubbed his arm, chasing away the goosebumps. He felt his hands freeze when Tony's fell over it, leading Peter's fingertips down to his waist where a stinging spread through his skin as he grazed a dark bruise. Oh. “I g-guess some more brutal ones.” An obnoxious blush crawled over his cheeks in recognition, swallowing hard. 

“You did a total on the criminal, too, right?” Tony smirked as he shifted the mask to continue fitting in the flat microphone and speaker. “I hope you weren't the only one that walked away with marks.” 

“Yeah, Tony.” Peter rolled his eyes, though his heart was starting to beat loudly in his chest. An image of Wade slipped into his mind, and while Peter often found nails digging into his back or his thighs gripping too tightly onto Wade’s waist, he was always healed before Peter could see any real damage. “Normal fights, like I said. Nothing special.” 

“No one special, either?” 

Peter turned to face Tony with a quirked eyebrow as the mask was drawn over his head. He felt bemused by his questioning, though it was also making him grow nervous. Had Tony seen the elevator happenings? He had no doubts Jarvis would report to Tony about any situations of the sort, and he couldn’t trust the robot to keep a secret for his sake. He was also unsure on Tony’s reaction. Either he’d be furious Peter had broken the silly little lecture rules he’d given him half a year ago, or he’d be more pissed Peter wasn’t telling him everything about it. Both outcomes would result in an increase of Tony’s nosiness. 

“Average… villains?” Peter asked in a guessing tone. 

“You know what I mean. Dating someone?” 

Peter flushed furiously, Tony’s hands tugging him to stand straight while a sleeve was pulled up to his elbow. “No. I-I’m not. Why are you even asking?” 

A look of understanding passed over Tony’s face, sending a cold shiver down to base of Peter’s spine. He’d just condemned himself to a life of taunting he likely wouldn’t escape from. “ _Oh._ ” 

“No one casual, either!” Peter retaliated. According to Tony’s smirk, he wasn’t buying the protest. 

“Who’s the lucky…” Tony glanced down at the bruise on his hip in the shape of 3 fingers, raising an eyebrow. “Guy, I’m guessing? Or guys? Finally taking my advice?” 

“You don’t know him.” Peter grunted in embarrassment, hoping to ease the topic off of himself. Regret for showing up with such enthusiasm earlier was prominent in his mind. If only he’d known how the day would blow over. 

Tony drug the fingers of the glove up Peter’s hand, a light chuckle reverberating from his throat. “That’s good, then. Most of the guys I know are way too old for you. Probably wouldn’t have the best intentions.” 

_Ha, Wade has the best intentions._

Peter scoffed audibly in an attempt to show his discomfort, refusing to give another answer besides that. Tony at least seemed to take notice of this, his cocky grin easing. “I’m not trying to completely humiliate you.” He articulated as he began securing straps for the web shooters in the gloves. “I’ve been there. I might have been 5 years younger and could buy myself that kind of attention, but I was still that awkward first-timer discovering more than engineering breakthroughs. I just want to be the one you can talk to. Not like you’re going to ask your Aunt about condoms. Which you’re…?” 

“...Not wanting to tell you the details of.” Peter murmured as he rubbed his face with his free hand, trying to devise a way out of this. He’d already been cornered, so the only logical solution was to play into Tony’s hand. “I-I get what you mean, and like.. Thanks for the concern. If I really need to know anything, I’ll text you or something.” He heaved a sharp sigh, trying to ignore the way Tony’s face it up again in content. “I _promise_ I’m an adult, though. I’ve had enough time to think about all of that. I’m good on my own. No more questions, no trying to pry into the details, and definitely don’t try to show up at my apartment to figure out who I’m with, okay?” He paused, and upon receiving no reply, adjusted his tone to sound more insistent. “I need like, verbal confirmation, dude. I can’t trust your nods.” 

“I promise I’ll mostly stay away from your business when you’re around.” 

Peter regarded him carefully, though he decided that was the best he was going to get from the older man that thrived on barging into other’s lives and invading their privacy. He sighed and shook his head, dropping the topic altogether. “Let’s hurry and finish. I wanna get the lab clean while I still have the chance. It’s driving me insane.” 

\---

“I don’t see why you need to set fire to the building to be able to speak to the head. Couldn’t you maybe just walk in? You’ve done it for years.” Natasha commented dryly as her eyes traced the comical drawings scribbled on the whiteboard, depicting a cartoon Deadpool wrecking havok on underground New York. “I’ve seen you make it through worse than a few men shooting your direction.” 

“But as an unofficially-official Avenger badass, I have more tools at my disposal.” Wade clasped his hands together as he rubbed them excitedly, turning to the masked Peter for support in his ridiculous plans. “C’mon, Petey, you think fires cool, right?” 

“Not when it’s risking people’s lives.” Peter added pointedly, causing Wade to deflate. “The building clear? Sure. But I can promise I’m not letting you in there with any sort of lethal weapon and no self control.” 

“I’ve been good.” Wade whined, though he resigned his proposal and turned back to sketching out more preposterous plans. “Ugh, fine. Guess you’ll have to come in disguise with me then, Spides, and keep me in line.” 

“That’s also not happening.” Steve heaved a dry sigh as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Out of all of the Avengers, he’d taken the brunt of most of Wade’s obnoxious bantering and excited idea tossing. Deadpool definitely wasn’t giving up this chance to truly live up the life of a hero. “It’s an easy enough job, right? Please give us a reason to believe you were the right person to bring in for this.” 

“I guess I could do it the boring way.” Wade erased his masterpiece, replacing the drawings with stick figures waving at one another, though one held a large gun in its hand, and the other held an even bigger automatic.   
“Walk in naked?” Peter muttered half to himself with a small grin, though Wade picked up on it perfectly. 

His masked face turned to look at the Spider with a smirk poking through his pleather, arms folding over his chest in satisfaction. “It worked once before, didn’t it? Even if having an electric rod shoved up my ass put a damper on the day.” 

“You wouldn’t stop complaining for a week.” Peter laughed, resting his head on his chin. 

“Healing factor doesn’t handle the emotional wounds.” Wade pulled up a chair to sit across from Peter on it backwards, retaking his seat at the table. 

Natasha felt a light bump on her waist, and glancing over, made eye contact with a perplexed Wanda. The witch leaned in to whisper in her ear, her voice hesitant. “When did they..?” She trailed off, looking at her promptingly for an answer. 

“When did they what?”

“Alright.” Steve clasped his hands as he stood up, his chair scraping audibly on the floor to silence the heroes. “Since Tony still hasn’t made an appearance, I’ll go flush him out. Let’s take a quick break.” 

Steve’s departing gave the signal to other heroes they were free to meander the building, though only Bruce and Thor seemed to leave as they chattered about a soap opera Thor had come to adore. Wade gave Peter a quick ‘be-right-back’ as he disappeared from sight, which of course set Natasha on edge, as the three were left alone. 

Peter stood carefully from his seat, deciding he’d fetch his IPad to do some work, though a slender hand wrapping around his wrist halted his movements. He glanced down at the curious face of the girl not much older than him, tilting his own head. “What’s up?”

“You and Wade.” Wanda mused, pursing her lips. “When did the two of you start dating?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder I take fanfic requests on my tumblr! (Spideypoolhell.tumblr.com)

“Dating?” 

The question made him want to laugh. Then cry. Then probably a mix of the two, because Peter knew there was no chance they would ever end up together, and he wasn’t sure why the thought made his heart ache so badly. Really, he felt like this was starting to get a little pathetic. 

However, most of all, it took him completely off guard. His wide brown eyes looked between both women that stared back at him, Natasha seemingly just as surprised by the question as he was. He couldn’t fathom a proper answer at the moment, panic coursing through his chest. Were they obvious about their ‘relationship?’ Peter knew no one would approve, especially Tony and Steve. And while they didn’t have any official dictation over who Peter was allowed to see in his free time, he knew they could make Wade’s life a living hell if they thought he was a negative influence to keep around. Tony had done it before. 

“We’re not dating.” Peter finally managed to choke out, pulling his wrist from Wanda’s grasp and taking a few self conscious steps back. He quieted the blood thumping in his ears long enough to look for footsteps in the hallway, wanting to make sure no one was eavesdropping. He didn’t see anyone in the stretch of lights, luckily. Having to explain it to another person would seriously take a toll on Peter’s patience. “We’re just… I don’t know. We work together sometimes. Why are you asking?” 

“You guys seemed really close.” Wanda explained, raising a hand to tap her finger against her temple. “So I checked your emotions. I sensed romantic opinions, and assumed you were dating. I’m sorry.” 

Natasha’s eyebrows lowered, and Peter _really_ wished he could just jump out the window to save himself the pain. 

“I, uh…” Was there a way out of this? Peter couldn’t really think of one. He took another step back towards the door, casually waiting for his chance to completely dip out. “W-We’re not. He wouldn’t think of me like that.” He said, expertly putting his foot in his mouth as he did best. The look he received from the both of them was so pitying and sad he regretted ever coming to this meeting anyways. Why did all the women in his life have to be so invasive? He was perfectly fine with tucking this secret away in a box in his head and stomping on it until it was nothing more than depressing mind-dust. That sounded perfect. 

“I bet he would.” Wanda assured, sitting forward in interest. “I mean, we’ve seen the way he looks at you. He’s in awe of you when you come in the room.” She grinned. 

“You’re the only one that can handle his annoying psychotic rambling.” Natasha agreed, and Peter blanched. No way was she on Wanda’s side. The one person he could rely on. “And you both laugh at the same stupid jokes.” 

“You should tell him.” 

“What?” 

“Tell him, Peter! You’d be surprised. I could check for you, to see if he likes you. It’s hard to read his thoughts. He has too many layers and barriers to move through. But if it’ll make you feel better...” Now Peter just felt like he was being treated like a lovesick child. Gross. This is the kind of thing Peter would laugh with Wade about. 

_Stop thinking about him, stupid!_

“I’m good!” Peter groaned, rubbing his cheeks that were quickly growing hot and red. This was way too much embarrassment for one week. “Things are completely fine the way they are. I don’t need this to turn into anything more. 

Apparently the universe didn’t think so. 

Peter looked down when his phone buzzed to life on the table where Natasha and Wanda sat. A text. From Wade, he could tell, by the zoomed in picture of the eye of his mask staring back at him suspiciously (He may not make any real expressions, but Peter could at least somehow imagine the emotion he was showing). His brown eyes widened at the impeccable timing Wade never failed to demonstrate, his legs tensing as he looked up at the two sleuths also staring at the phone screen. They were silent for a moment, and then a quiet understanding passed between them all. 

Oh shit. 

Peter was the first to move. A web shot from his wrist, and he would have successfully retrieved the phone had Wanda not already conjured a magical energy orb that left his web uselessly bouncing off. The delay left him at a disadvantage- as if he already wasn’t at one- and he lept at the table halfway across the room in one futile attempt. Natasha’s hand shot out, and in a quick movement she grabbed the phone and dug the heel of her palm into Peter’s shoulders when he slid across the surface to push him even further. He had barely gripped the table with sticky fingers to prevent from crashing onto the floor when he heard his phone unlock (because why did he need a password when he only lived with Aunt May? Not his brightest move) and he threw a shocked look back at the gossips that had bested him. 

“He said ‘I saw this and thought of you’ with a wink.” Wanda read off with a grin as she looked up at Peter across the table. “There’s a photo attached. Can I open it?”

“Definitely not!” Peter said in slight panic, really not wanting to know what kind of stupid picture he saved off whatever dark part of the internet he scoured on the daily. “Hey, seriously, I don’t even wanna look at it.” 

“Oops.” Wanda shrugged innocently as the picture began downloading quickly onto the screen. “You told me too late.” 

Peter made a jump at Wanda, but he had completely forgotten about Nat and found her body pinning him at an extremely uncomfortable angle on top of the table within a second. He looked exasperated up at her, offended by the attack. 

“You got me curious.” Natasha shrugged from her perch atop his twisted limbs. “What is it?” 

Wanda’s eyes traced the screen, remaining level at first as it loaded. However, Peter could only watch in horror as her eyes widened and a thick blush rippled across her cheeks. Apparently the picture was awkward enough for her to force a nervous but slightly disgusted laugh, as she dropped his phone and slid it across the table. 

“I think he might like you, actually.” \

...

“That is something I’ve never wanted to see in my entire life.” Natasha cringed as she released Peter finally.. Peter didn’t move from where he was crumpled up on top of the metal, mesmerized by the image Wanda had just pulled up. 

In the background was the distinct metallic finish of the bathroom stalls, iconic to anything Stark related. Wade’s red suit was drastic against the monochrome set, and his leather-covered fingers were splayed neatly in the frame, just barely censoring an otherwise lewd sight. Yes, Wade had definitely just sent him a dick pic, a cheesy one at that, and by his next text of a wink and a kissy face, he was totally proud of it. If Peter was alone, he’d probably laugh. However, now he could only grimace at the bright red blush that was slowly making its way over his cheeks, really wishing he could pull a Vision and vanish into the floor right about now. 

“I-It’s different.” Peter finally managed to conjure up a reaction, grabbing his phone to lock it and shove it back in his pocket. One raised eyebrow from Natasha, and he felt the embarrassment swell, scratching his face to hide the guilt written on his features. “Seriously, Wade is just this way. It doesn’t mean anything to him. It’s how we’ve always been. We’re just… a big joke to him.” 

Saying it hurt. But it was true. He knew Wade saw him as nothing more than an adolescent, despite time and time again proving he was even more mature than the mercenary-in-recovery himself. It was just good fun, and the sex was probably just a bonus. He didn’t think Wade was cruel enough to just _use_ him for sex, however. 

“You’re blind.” Wanda said with a shrug, meandering back to her seat. Through the glass doors, Peter could see the other superhumans making their way to the meeting room, and he slide off the table automatically. “But you’re the only one that can move things forward.”

“Please don’t run off.” Steve’s voice sounded as the door slid open for his entry, Tony tipsily in tow. “We’d actually like to go over logistics for _once_ with everyone present-- Where’s Wade?” He stopped immediately, looking over to Peter for an answer. The brunette shrugged back, his phone growing all the heavier in his pocket. Why did everyone assume he kept track of him? 

“Great. I’ll be back. Don’t let the other two disappear when they get here.” 

Wade was in for a hell of a time. The thought had Peter grinning to himself, but one glance at Wanda’s smirk forced it to vanish. This was going to be a long day. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Peter found it harder to sleep when he wasn’t with Wade. 

Long nights had plagued him ever since he’d made the choice to stop making bi-weekly visits over to his apartment. It hadn’t been that long, maybe two or three missed opportunities for times he could have spent in his bed, but the lack of stress relief made the days stretch by longer. Ever since his conversation with Natasha, Wanda, and Tony, he realized he wasn’t being as discreet as he had hoped. If he couldn’t keep his secret from them, there was no way Wade wasn’t going to find out, and he wasn’t quite prepared for the ramifications of _that_ conversation. So he’d made up excuses about being busy, forced himself out on longer patrols, delved himself into extra studying time to not feel bad about lying, and then spent exhausted nights staring at the ceiling once he’d returned. It left him fatigued and slip ups at work became commonplace, though they were minor enough to hide. Eventually his body would adjust, and his heart would settle. And then no more guilty crush. Everything would be fine in the end. 

Except it wasn’t fine now. 

Meetings grew increasingly awkward. Peter avoided Wanda’s looks. He got there early, to not have to sit next to Wade once he had arrived. He barely even talked to him, not wanting to give anyone the wrong idea about the extent of their friendship. That’s all they were after all, somewhat decent friends, and nothing had to get more complicated than that. Even trying to convince himself of that fact, Peter still felt his heart race each time that mask stared back at him, and he knew he wasn’t going to get over his pseudo-attachment that easily. 

The world wasn’t about to let him, either.


End file.
